Throughout his long career, Raphael Soyer was preoccupied with the female figure. He painted numerous images of solitary nude or semiclothed models posing in his studio or home. Shown in three-quarter length, the woman in Blond Figure stands off-center toward the right of the composition, next to a table. She is set against a shallow, dark background and pressed close to the picture plane. Her form is softly illuminated by light that emanates from an unseen source on the left.

As with many of Soyer’s subjects, the woman has a disheveled appearance. Soyer often represented women in states of partial undress, resulting in paintings with pronounced but ambiguous sexual undertones. This image is intimate, capturing a private, unguarded moment. The model’s withdrawn, remote, and anguished quality imbues the scene with a mysterious sense of melancholy. Soyer’s interest in the psychology of his sitter was inspired by the Dutch master Rembrandt van Rijn.